Get A Job
by yumihat
Summary: When the world-famous puzzle solver, Professor Layton, tells Luke that he is tired of what he does, Luke is shocked. Yet, being his loyal apprentice, Luke decided that he would help the professor in his quest for a new job. Will Layton find the perfect job? Or will Luke snap him out of the professor's sudden desire to change occupations?
1. Chapter 1: Doctor Professor

_**Hey!**_

_**I was pretty upset when I had written a chapter for Stuck In Your Head for the second time. Then, I almost went insane when Fanfiction wouldn't let me sign in to post it. So you know what I did?**_

_**I wrote this. Here you go.**_

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_****_Hershel Layton let out a sigh from his desk as he poked at a few dinosaur bones with his pencil's eraser. Luke looked at his role model with a curious look. The professor never sighed like that. Something was wrong. "Professor? Is something wrong?" Luke questioned.

The professor sighed again and spun around in his chair to face his apprentice. "Oh, Luke, my dear boy...It seems that I have grown weary of my job..." He muttered.

Luke couldn't believe what he was hearing. The professor always loved his job. Solving puzzles and mysteries, looking at fossils and bones...Who would've thought he'd get bored? "P-Professor! What...What are you saying?!"

"I'm saying that I need to find a new job." The professor bluntly explained.

Luke almost collapsed on the floor. "B-But! I'm supposed to be your apprentice!" Luke shrieked.

"You can still be my apprentice, just not the apprentice to an archeologist who goes around solving puzzles." He assured in an attempt to calm the distressed boy down.

"O...Okay...I guess I can give it a shot." Luke replied, taking a deep breath. "After all, I am your faithful apprentice."

"Great. So, I was looking at this opening for a doctor-" Layton started.

"Wait! Professor! You were already looking for a job?!" Luke questioned. "And you waited until now to tell me?!"

"Of course, Luke. I wanted to check my options before I made the announcement." Hershel explained. "As I was saying, I found an opening for a doctor at that doctor's office nearby."

"...Professor...Do you even know anything about being a doctor?" Luke asked.

"Well, I'm not called a professor just because it sounds official." Layton answered.

"Yes...I know you went to college but...that was because you wanted to be an archeologist...not a doctor."

"They both deal with bones, I'm sure it'll be fine." The professor assured, putting on his hat and coat.

"Yes, but-"

"Shh..." Layton hissed. "A true gentleman doesn't question a true gentleman's choices." Layton stated

Luke soon found himself sitting in a small child's chair in the waiting room of the doctor's office. Layton sat in the adult-sized chair next to him, filling out papers.

"Professor...I'm still unsure about this..." Luke muttered.

"It'll be fine." The professor once again assured him. Just then, a little girl screamed in pain and held her finger. Luke came to her rescue as he usually does to people in need. Luke brought the girl over to the professor, hoping he could help.

"Professor...She got a splinter on those wooden blocks over there." Luke explained, pointing to the corner of kids that had continued playing like the girl was never there.

Layton put the papers on the floor and placed the weeping child in his lap. "A great opportunity to test my abilities..." Layton said to himself as he examined her finger. He began to mumble quietly to himself, turning the situation into a puzzle as he always had.

"Professor...?" Luke quietly called. "You're supposed to pull the splinter out."

"Right. Right. That just seemed too easy to be the solution." Layton commented as he pinched the small piece of wood with his fingers and pulled out the splinter. "Good call, Luke." The professor complimented.

"Professor, you're supposed to put a band-aid on it." Luke stated before the tall man could let the girl run free.

"Of course..." Layton muttered. He grabbed a band-aid and looked at the small hole in her finger. "Right...So...How do I cover the most area of the wound...?" He asked himself as he rotated the band-aid in several directions.

"Professor...Just put it on..." Luke mumbled as the professor continued to make it more challenging than it had to be.

About half an hour later, he finally placed the band aid on her finger and the girl was sound asleep. "A true gentleman never leaves a puzzle unsolved!" The professor happily yelled as he always did after solving a puzzle. The girl abruptly woke up to his voice and began to cry again. "What's wrong?" Layton questioned.

"You woke her up, sir..." Luke explained. A woman came over and took her child away from the professor. She started to rock her in her arms until the child was asleep again.

"How dare you?!" The woman angrily whispered. She slapped the professor on his cheek, his hat falling off in the process. "Stealing children and then making them cry?! Who does that?!" The outraged woman didn't even wait for the professor to answer. She walked away from the duo and sat in her chair with her daughter.

The professor rubbed his face. "Luke...I don't think I'm cut out for the whole doctor business..." He muttered quietly.


	2. Chapter 2: Professor Fast Food

**Just a fair warning: I wouldn't consider this my best work.**

**I feel like I completely destroyed Luke and Layton's personalities but whatever. It was written and I couldn't find a way to fix it and still have stuff happen in this chapter.**

**So yeah...I warned you.**

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"Hello madam. Welcome to McDonald's how may I help you?" Luke cringed after hearing his beloved and esteemed professor greet a lady with these words for the tenth time. Luke had been trying to come to terms with the professor's change in heart, but he just couldn't do it. Seeing the brilliant Layton degrade himself to being a cashier at a world famous fast food restaurant made him sick to his stomach. The professor was a genius. He shouldn't be serving greasy food and he certainly should be rewarded by more than minimum wage.

"Thank you. Please come again." Luke covered his ears with his hands, knowing that he could not stand to hear the professor greet another person. However, because he was sitting at a table next to the cash register to give the professor the "moral support" that he wasn't truly giving, it was impossible to completely block out the professor's voice.

Luke stood up from his chair. The professor looked at his apprentice who had seemed to change his mind about helping him. "Luke? Are you leaving?" Layton questioned.

Luke, being the professor's number one apprentice, could not bring himself to tell the professor that he no longer wanted to assist him in his job search. After all, if an apprentice didn't help their mentor, what were they good for? "Um...No, professor...I'm just taking a short break outside." Luke hesitatingly stated.

The professor smiled and tipped the McDonald's visor that had replaced his hat. "Alright, Luke. Be careful." Luke nodded and walked outside. He began to walk around the building in thought. Luke really wanted to help the professor. He truly did. He just wished that the professor would return to the university and continue to look at dinosaur bones all day. Also, although it felt strange admitting it, he kind of missed how the professor always saw everyday items and would make Luke solve a puzzle about them, even though the duo would have more important matters on their minds than a puzzle Luke would spend hours trying to solve.

Then, Luke got a devious idea. He didn't have to tell the professor that changing jobs was a stupid idea. He just had to scare the professor out of the idea of change. This idea was strangely mischievous and out of character for Luke. However, Luke just couldn't stand seeing the professor like this and decided to go through with his plan anyway.

So, Luke began to search the McDonald's dumpster. Luke was very shocked to see all the items that ended up in there. Luke stumbled out of the dumpster with a black ski mask and a fake gun (he hoped it was fake at least). Luke then walked back into the building, placing the items into his bag, and snuck into the bathroom without anyone noticing. Luke took out the ski mask from his bag and washed it in the sink with soap and water. Then, not wanting to wear a soaking wet mask, he used the blow drier to dry the mask off. Then, he placed it back into his bag.

Next, he began to wash off the gun. He made sure that he was careful not to touch the trigger, not wanting to test if it was real or not. Then, the door opened and a small child who was sucking on a lollipop saw Luke washing off the gun in the sink. Luke looked at the boy, frozen in fear. "T-This isn't what it looks like!" Luke stammered.

The child looked at him with expressionless eyes as if seeing a boy with a gun was an everyday thing. "What are you talking about?" The child questioned, continuing to suck on his candy. The child walked past Luke and went into a stall, calling Luke a weirdo before slamming the bathroom stall door. Luke let out a sigh of relief, glad that the kid didn't freak out like any normal person would have. Luke quickly finished and left the building again. Luke went into the Layton Mobile and put on the ski mask and held the gun. He looked in the rearview mirror, trying to look as menacing as possible. Unfortunately, a small, cute child such as Luke could never possibly look scary. Luke took off the mask in defeat when all of a sudden, he saw a muscular man with many tattoos park his motorcycle next to the Layton Mobile. Luke watch the man slowly walk up to the building. Luke got out of the car and ran to the man, hope filling his eyes.

"Sir! Excuse me sir!" Luke yelled. The man turned around and curiously looked at the tiny child.

"Yes...?"

"Sir...Could you please take these and pretend to rob the store? I have a friend in there you see and he's-"

"Say no more kid. I've been looking for a reason to scare the employees of this joint. They gave me a cold cheeseburger with a soggy bun once. I'm not letting them get away with that." He stated in the most serious tone Luke had ever heard. The man took the ski mask and placed it over his head. "Besides, this way if I get caught, I can blame you..." He added, glaring at Luke with an evil look in his eyes. Luke swallowed nervously and handed him the gun. The man waltzed into the store like he was just ordering something like any other customer. Luke watched through the window as people screamed and ran out of the restaurant in fear, some eating their food as they ran.

The professor stayed at his post, making him and the muscular man the only two in the building. "Hello sir. Welcome to McDonald's how may I help you?" He obliviously greeted. The man tilted his head.

"Huh...?" He questioned. He ignored the professor's greeting and showed him the gun. "Look, buddy. I don't want any trouble-"

"Yes you do." The professor bluntly interrupted.

"What...?"

"You wouldn't bring a gun if you didn't want any trouble." The professor logically stated.

"Look, pal. It's fake." The man stated. He must've been a professional with guns, Luke thought from outside.

"So, you don't have any weapons then?" Layton questioned.

"No...J-Just give me the money! I said I don't want any trouble!" The man repeated.

"So...You don't have a real weapon...and you planned on robbing a store?" He questioned.

"Shut up and show me where the money is!" He yelled.

"Alright. You can have the money, if you can solve this puzzle-"

"I don't have time for this!"

"You and your friend plan to rob a store. Your friend has gotten a hold of a combination for the safe with money. However, as you explore the store after it is closed, you come across five safes that all look alike. Your friend has forgotten to tell you which safe held the money. All safes are extremely heavy and cannot be picked up. Therefore, you cannot lift the safes to determine which one has money in it. So, how do you figure out which one has the money?"

"Um..." The man scratched his head in thought, knowing that the professor would not let him through until he solved the puzzle. "Um...Three safes...Um..." The man held his head in pain. "Screw this! My head hurts! I'm going home!" The man stomped out of the restaurant in annoyance and sped off on his motorcycle. Luke watched in amazement as the professor came out of the restaurant, taking off his visor and placing his hat back on his head.

"Luke. I don't think I want to be a cashier anymore."

"Why not, professor?" Luke questioned, a bit of happiness in his voice.

"It isn't challenging my brain enough. Come, Luke. Lets to home." Layton suggested. Luke smiled when he felt his mentor's hand on his back, guiding the child back into the car.

"By the way professor...what was the answer to that puzzle?" Luke questioned, curious himself what the answer was.

"Not everything has a logical answer, Luke." Luke tilted his head in confusion. The professor smiled and a small chuckle left his lips as he began to tell him the answer. "You guess Luke. To get the answer, you just keep trying the combination on all the safes until one opens."

"B-But Professor! Wouldn't you lose picarats?" Luke questioned, shocked that the professor had just told him to guess. Is the professor losing his puzzle-solving skills as well?

"Luke, honestly. Have we ever collected all of them? Even once?" Layton questioned.

"I suppose not..." He mumbled in response.

"See? Then what is the problem with guessing?" As the professor got in the car after stating this, Luke came to the realization that he had to make the professor return to the university.


	3. Chapter 3: Professor Mario

**Hey there!**

**How long has it been? It feels like it has been forever since I uploaded anything. How's it going?**

**Anyways, I wanted to post this a LONG time ago, but things happened. Some bad things. Like my computer acting like a goofball. That's not good. Not at all.**

**It's okay though! I figured out another way to post stuff. In the meantime, I'm going to have to have a talk with my computer.**

**That goofball.**

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Layton pressed a small button next to the stranger's door, creating a loud and annoying bell to erupt throughout the house. Luke uncomfortably looked over at the professor who was holding a red box of tools.

"Professor...How is this better than being a cashier?" Luke questioned.

"Luke my boy, there aren't any poorly prepared thieves in this line of work." Layton explained, ringing the doorbell again.

"I suppose so but...What if you're entering the house of a murderer?" Luke asked in a desperate attempt to scare the professor away from this job.

Unfortunately, it would take more than a small child's concerns to scare Layton away. "Luke, a true gentleman does not need to have another gentleman worry about them." Layton stated.

Luke let out a small, hopeless sigh. He now knew that he had to come up with yet another mischievous plan to make the professor quit. Luke began to think of ideas as to what would scare the professor.

From the other side of the door, the duo could hear someone stumble toward the door. The professor's excessive doorbell ringing was answered by a woman in a soaking wet bathrobe. "Are you the plumber?!" She frantically questioned.

Layton nodded gently. "Yes. My name is Hershel-"

"Great. Come on in!" She interrupted the professor's introduction and grabbed his wrist, dragging Layton into her house. Luke carefully followed behind them, still thinking of ways to make him quit.

The woman led them into her kitchen. The floor was covered in water. The pipes for the sink were hidden by the cabinets that the sink rested on. Since the water looked like it was coming from the cabinets, the professor assumed that there was a loose pipe somewhere. He crouched down and opened the cabinet. He pulled out his tools and began to tinker with the piping.

Seeing this, Luke got an idea. "Hey, Professor...did you hear about the plumber who got his fingers cut off by a garbage disposal?"

"No, I'm sure that is very possible though." Layton calmly replied. That wasn't enough. Luke needed another plan. He looked around the room in an desperate attempt to form another idea, but he didn't see anything really interesting.

Then, his eyes reached the woman's finger. "Um...Excuse me miss? May I see your ring?" Luke questioned.

"I don't know...My boyfriend gave this to me so..." Luke gave her a desperate look. Luke knew that she couldn't deny the small child. After all, he only wanted to look at it, right?

The woman hesitated before she slipped the ring off of her finger and carefully handed it to Luke. Luke examined the shiny piece of jewelry. "This is very pretty, miss." Luke complimented.

"Thanks." She gave him a small smile and turned her head back to Layton. She sighed in annoyance. Layton turned his head to address the woman.

"Is something wrong miss?" He questioned. The lady had turned her head away from him and made a miniature shied with her hand. While she wasn't looking, Luke placed the ring in the drain.

"Why don't plumbers ever wear pants that actually fit them? At least wear a long shirt to cover it up..." She commented.

Layton slightly blushed as he pulled up his pants. "Sorry." He muttered, continuing to work.

"Now then. Can I have my ring back?" The woman questioned.

"Um...I think it fell into the drain." Luke innocently muttered.

"What?!" The woman loudly exclaimed. "We have to get it out!" She desperately screamed.

Layton stood up. "You're leaking problem is fixed-"

"Get my ring, please!" She commanded. Layton hesitated, surprised by the woman's sudden loud tone. Nervously, he reached his hand into the drain and retrieved the ring. His hand and the ring were both covered in old food and emitted a strange and disgusting scent the made Luke and the woman feel suddenly nauseous. "My ring...!" The woman angrily exclaimed.

Layton, flushed by the situation he had created, nervously devised a solution. "D-Don't worry! I'll wash it off!" Layton placed his hand over the drain, ring in hand, and turned on the faucet.

The woman gasped while a devious smile appeared on Luke's face. "Don't do that! You're going to drop it agai-" Her lips stopped moving as soon as she heard the sound of metal falling down the drain. Time seemed to stop as Layton examined the woman's furious expression in complete horror. "Get out of my house!" The woman screamed at the top of her lungs. Luke and Layton's eyes widened as the woman's sweet voice turned hostile. Luke hid behind the professor, as if his mentor could fight off the woman.

"I-I can fix this!" Layton assured quickly. He reached his hand back into the drain as the woman growled at them. The professor once again retrieved the trash-covered ring and presented it to the lady with an uneasy smile. "H-Here you are..." He nervously muttered.

The woman opened her mouth to continue her verbal attack, but before any words were formed, the pipes started rattling and the faucet popped off, making a fountain of water drench everything in the room.

"I'll just place this here..." Layton quietly stated, gently setting the ring down on the counter. The woman was now so furious that she was shaking. Luke and Layton began to back away from her as her shaking hands changed into tightly-clenched, shaking fists.

"Get. The hell. OUT OF MY HOUSE!" She commanded. Luke and Layton let out small screams and began to stumble their way out of her home as she threateningly chased them out of her home. During their hustle, Layton managed to trip over Luke, making the professor land on his face on the woman's front porch. Luke quickly regained his balance and ran outside. The woman angrily slammed the door behind them, the thought of paying the professor never daring to bother her thoughts.

Luke looked down at the poor professor. "Are you okay, Professor?" Luke questioned with a tinge of guilt in his voice.

The professor slowly stood up, brushing off some dirt from his plumber's uniform. "Yes, my dear boy, I'm fine. How are you?" He asked.

"My heart is racing, but other than that, I'm fine." Luke replied.

The professor sighed. "Luke, I don't think I want to be a plumber." He stated.

Luke smiled happily. "I understand. After all, no one wants someone to yell at them and chase them out of buildings." Luke added.

"Luke..." The professor muttered as if the child was a hopeless failure. "If I cared about people yelling at me and kicking me out of places, do you honestly think that I'd enjoy going off to solve mysteries with you? Every time we go somewhere, some one either yells at us or kicks us out of an area until we've done some meaningless task or sometimes both. Especially if we're working with Inspector Chelmey." The professor commented.

Luke smiled, knowing that what he said had some truth to it. "But then...What made you change your mind?" Luke questioned.

The professor's lips flattened and he tipped his soaking wet hat downward to cover his blushing face. "...Luke, a gentleman always wears pants that fits him or at least wears a coat to cover parts of his body that shouldn't be seen when he crouches down to assist someone..."


End file.
